Red Crescent Rohingya relief truck crashes, 9 killed

Death toll from the relief truck crash of the Red Crescent society in Naikhhangchhari upazila of Bandarban today rose to nine people until last reported.

The deceased were identified as Md Abdullah, 18, Jalil Ahmed, 40, Surat Alam, 35, Sayedul Amin, 26, Abdullah, 16, Mamunul Hakim, 19, Sultan Ahmad, 44, Abdul Mabud, 40, and Sudorshon Barua, 45.

All the victims were residents of Naikhangchhari Sadar union, our Cox's Bazar correspondent reports quoting Taslim Iqbal Chowdhury, chairman of the union parishad.

Eleven others, who were injured in the mishap, are receiving treatment at Naikhangchhari upazilla health complex and Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital, said Salman Karim Khan, a doctor of the local health complex.

Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Dilip Banik told our local correspondent that the truck skidded off in Chhakhdola area near a BGB camp around 7:45am, leaving Abdullah, Jalil, Surat, Sayedul, Abdullah and Hakim dead on the spot.

Later three of the injured -- Sultan, Mabud and Sudorshon -- succumbed to their injuries on way to Naikhangchhari upazila health complex, DC Banik said.

The victims were all on the way to a Rohingya settlement in the upazila to distribute relief among Rohingya refugees, our correspondents report from Cox's Bazar and Bandarban.

AKM Jahangir, secretary of the International Committee of the Red Cross Bandarban unit, the victims were employed to distribute relief to 500 Rohingya families along Bangladesh’s border with Myanmar in Bandarban district.

Nearly 7,500 Rohingya refugees are taking shelter in Boro Shonkhola of Naikhangchhari upazila for 20 days. They have fled into Bangladesh from violence in Rakhine State of Myanmar, said DC Dilip Banik.